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“You can go through a process where maybe people think it’s better if he goes back to his parent club, but clearly that’s not the case with Kurt and if there’s nothing in place he won’t be going back.”

Subsequent inquiries have confirmed that there is no recall clause and so Stoke have no legal obligation to let Zouma return to Stamford Bridge before the end of the season.

There is a precedent between the two clubs when Hughes allowed Dutch midfielder Marco van Ginkel to return to Chelsea in January 2016, but Hughes insists circumstances are different with Zouma.

Kurt Zouma... here for the whole season (Image: Getty)

“Marco van Ginkel came and we had that conversation because he didn’t feel he was getting the games that he wanted.

“He got a few, mind, at the time, so I wasn’t quite sure why he felt that. But he wanted to play week-in, week-out and he wasn’t, so we had conversations and in the end we decided it was best to allow him to go.

“That was only because we felt we had sufficient cover to allow that to happen, so there’s no way we would have a conversation like that in relation to Kurt and allow him to go because clearly we would be left exposed... so it’s not going to happen.”

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Zouma has played every minute of every Premier League game since joining - bar the home defeat to parent club Chelsea - and seems sure to remain a permanent fixture whether Hughes plays with two or three centre halves.

Hughes has already stated that he wouldn’t mind a cheeky shot at signing the 23 year-old Frenchman long term in the unlikely event Chelsea were open to offers next summer.